Greeting from the Cape Fear Coast:
We have been night fishing for the last 9 days. Getting started at 8:00p.m. and ending anywhere around 1 a.m. - 2 a.m.. We started Sunday night and Ladyfish were the target and we caught one on a Crystal minnow and I had one on a broke-back Rebel but he jumped straight into the bridge and shook the hook. It was none
stop busting of ladies and blues but we only got those two hook ups. Monday night it was time for sharking and Tarpon. We got very small menhaden and headed for the sound. We only got one 3' Sharpnose. Tuesday night we got some large menhaden, which have been hit and miss around Masonboro all season, and hit another spot for the big boys. We picked up one nice drum after about 20 mins. and the next fish was a nice Tarpon exploding out of the water into the light of the almost fullmoon. This is an image that I will never forget. It leaped three more times and disappeared into the darkness. We cleared all the lines and began to give chase. Then I felt something else on the line, it was Allen's line that had gotten caught in mine as he was trying to reel in. He cut his line and I was reeling in the slack, because the fish had stopped his first run. My line got tight and I couldn't move the reel. I felt the beast take off again and the line parted 12" out of the rod tip. I have no idea what happened everthing worked after the line broke. RULE #1 Night Fishing: Always have a good LED Headlight.
Fishing in the dark is hard enough, but 100lb+ Tarpon and Blacktips in the dark on 15# class gear is really hard. Some may say crazy but damn it sure is exciting. Tuesday night ended with one lost Tarpon and two 4-5' Blacktips landed oh yeah did I mention one slot Red Drum around 25". Over the next 7 nights we lost another Tarpon as it danced in the moonlight and 6 more beasts most likely Blacktips. We boated around 10 Blacktips in all. All these fish were caught in near and round Masonboro and Wrightsville Beach.
Today, I heard at the Tex's Tackle, two sails were boated in the 10 mile box car (AR 376) area. Plenty of Kings and some Cobia are also in the area. The trout and drum bite is going off in Southport. If topwater fishing is your thing you best hit the flats behind Bald Head and Oak Island.
Good Luck and Get Out,
Capt Danny Wrenn
96 Charter Company
Wilmington, N.C.
910.619.2224
